Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-LedgerThe Nets' Keyon Dooling, who went from losing with the Clippers to winning with the Heat, says 'you can't skip processes' that help young players learn how to play in the NBA, even if they mostly lose.Everyone understands the Nets’ current philosophy. The young kids have to play, period. They have to play so they can develop, and they have to develop in order for the team to have a shot to win on a consistent and sustained basis in the future.

So the Nets are committed to making sure that Yi Jianlian, Courtney Lee, Terrence Williams continue to get their minutes, no matter what happens.

“Could we play more veterans and maybe eke out a couple more wins? Possibly,’’ coach/GM Kiki Vandeweghe said at Tuesday’s shootaround, before the Nets hosted the Milwaukee Bucks. “But right now, we’re choosing to stay the course.’’

Certainly, it’s fine to have a plan and stick to it – even as the losses continue to pile up at a dizzying rate. But isn’t there some point in the development process for young players, where winning becomes important, too?

After all, if the young players continue to play and the team continues to lose at the rate it has all season – 3-30 before Tuesday night’s game – is there a risk that all their ample playing time is doing is teaching the kids how to play just well enough to lose?

“No, no, no,’’ veteran Nets guard Keyon Dooling insisted.

“You can’t skip processes,’’ Dooling said. “In this league, you’ve got to take the good with the bad. If you don’t go to a top tier team, you’re going to experience some hardships. I didn’t win – I came from the (Los Angeles) Clippers – and then I went to the (Miami) Heat, and we were playing for the Eastern Conference finals the next year (2004-05). It wasn’t that I had a loser’s mentality; it’s just that I wasn’t on a team that was good enough to play.

“So it is what it is, it’s a part of the experience. I think it’s good for young players to be able to play and develop, instead of watch and develop on a good team.’’

Vandeweghe acknowledges that, yes, winning is important at some point, because the young players do have to learn how to go about winning games. Vandeweghe just doesn’t believe the Nets are necessarily at that point yet.

“Developing winning habits is part of it, absolutely,’’ Vandeweghe said in explaining the Nets’ position for the umpteenth time. “We have the youngest starting lineup in the NBA, but if you’re talking about winning on a long-term basis, you’ve got to develop good habits.

“In the stage we’re at, we’re looking at the building blocks,’’ he continued. “And we’ve been, I think, over the past two weeks, improving in several areas. And we’re getting some of those building blocks in place. And it’s important that you cement them in place so they’re consistent things that you can rely on.’’

The formula by which the Nets can win games this season – and get off the track they’re currently on, which would have them breaking the NBA record for fewest wins (9) in a season – is getting closer to being in place, as the injured players continue to come back.

Jarvis Hayes, who suffered a torn hamstring in the opening game of the season, was expected back Tuesday night, the last of the long-term injured players to return. The Nets sorely missed his defensive work and his 3-point shooting.

In addition, point guard Devin Harris. Harris, who missed 10 games with a groin injury early in the season, has been back for a while, but is only recently beginning to resemble his old, dynamic self. That will help, too.

Harris, for one, believes that it’s in everyone’s best interests for this team to start winning some games, and soon.

“If you can win AND play the young guys, I think that’s (the goal), rather than sometimes just playing the guys and you’re not winning as many games,’’ Harris said. “I think you’re practicing the right habits and you get into the right frame of mind when you’re winning these games, I think that’s better than just throwing them out there and letting them play minutes and you’re not getting anything out of it.’’Colin Stephenson may be reached at cstephenson@starledger.com